It must have sounded strange to New York City residents who woke up last week and heard a local wanna-be politician bash the Democratic congress on a Fox 5 morning show. But that's exactly what they got when Staten Island's Republican challenger to Mike McMahon made an appearance on the program.
Mike Grimm, former FBI stooge and Tea Party panderer, appeared on the show and gave an eloquent alternative to the Island's current rep on Capital Hill.
The contender was more subdued and pragmatic then the acerbic letters that come out of his press apparatus.
His biggest bullshit moment came when he was asked why Staten Island is so different politically from the rest of the city or "Obama country" as the host called it:
"I think it's a few things. It's the highest concentration of veterans, It's the highest concentration of small business owners, it's the highest concentration of Italian Americans."
Really, where does he get these numbers from? I had no idea there were more veterans in Staten Island then, say, Queens, or the South Bronx. Italian-Americans? Yeah, I'll give you that. But small business owners? More small businesses (or a "higher concentration" whatever that means) then Manhattan? Brooklyn? Nah, don't think so.?
So why is Staten Island really more politically right-leaning than the rest of the city?
It's geographically isolated from the other four boros. The only way to get off the island and into "Obama country" is the 25-minute excursion of the Staten Island Ferry and the Verrazano-Narrows bridge to Brooklyn.
On the southern tip of the island is a neighborhood called Tottenville, which is so close to New Jersey that the boro's growing deer population is rumored to swim across the Arthur Kill on to Tottenville's shores. If the deer were to take the train however, they would have a 45-minute ride just to get to the ferry from those beaches.
And there's all those white people. Census estimates put some South Shore neighborhoods at 75 to 80 percent white. Not that this should matter. But the island's politically active have a particular disgust for black politicians, hence the Staten Island Tea Party and references to the Island's first black elected official as an "ugly low life" who reminds them of "the old show Mr. Ed."
This is why Staten Island is not "Obama country." It has nothing do to with Grimm's erroneous assertion that we have more small businesses here.
If Obama lost the Island because of racism, naturally he would have done far worse against John McCain than Kerry did against Bush four years earlier...oh, sorry, that isn't true.
ReplyDeleteWell, if Staten Island was racist, we would have never voted for black woman for city council in both a primary and general election...oh, sorry, we did vote in Debi Rose, didn't we?
Don't forget, Staten Island also has a Tea Party, and its been shown that the Tea Party movement is racist...oh, no, that's not true either. In fact, the only proven incidence of racism AND violence involving a Tea Party activist was the beating of Kenneth Gladney, an African American Tea Party activist who was thrown on the ground, kicked and punched and called the N-word by Obama supporters working for the SEIU, as verified by the police report which can be seen at this link: http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2009/11/09/exclusive-police-report-on-gladney-beating-by-seiu-thugs/.
But still, the Tea Party must be racist because it is all white, right? No, sorry, a recent Gallup poll shows that the racial makeup of Tea Party activists nationally reflects the demographics of the nation.
So once again, a liberal argument defeated by those things called FACTS!
Funny, but it does: "But the island's politically active have a particular disgust for black politicians, hence the Staten Island Tea Party and references to the Island's first black elected official as an "ugly low life" who reminds them of "the old show Mr. Ed.""
ReplyDeleteWrong on both points:
ReplyDelete1. The Tea Party - Repeating unsupported claims against a group never makes them true, it just makes you sound repetitious and biased.
2. The ugly reference - Use of isolated examples to prove a point is fallacious. Repetition of this tactic is simply an admission on your part that fallacy is the probably the high point of your ability to argue rationally, not the low point.
Anything else?
that's my take, and it will appear on this blog until you prove me otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThere was a candle light vigil last night for the Mexican Baker who was savagely beaten. Was the Tea Party there? didn't see you guys?
So even though you freely admit that you cannot back up your inferences about racism within the Tea Party movement with facts, you now contend that they are beholden to people like you to show up to protest every incidence of racial crime? The Tea Party movement is one that advocates for a Federal government that operates under a more originalist interpretation of the constitution, not local crime.
ReplyDeleteIf the Tea Party is somehow at fault for not being involved with every vigil held in response to racial incidents, so is the League of Womens' Voters, Citizens' Union, NYPIRG, and all the other advocacy groups that weren't there.
Again, it would be more honest to identify this thing you have with the Tea Party as something you would like to believe, because there is no evidence otherwise.
like it or not, the Tea Party is the face of white hatred on Staten Island. the onus is on you to change that.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no desire to get into a political argument here, but as an unbiased third party I just wanted to point out that there is absolutely no mention of racism in this article whatsoever. A "particular disgust" is mentioned, and that's as far as it goes.
ReplyDeleteNamaste.
Joe, good luck in your continued argument with this anonymous coward who doesn't even believe in his or her convictions enough to leave his or her name.
ReplyDeleteBut a serious point that's not just knee-jerk right/left back and forth:
"So why is Staten Island really more politically right-leaning than the rest of the city?
It's geographically isolated from the other four boros. The only way to get off the island and into "Obama country" is the 25-minute excursion of the Staten Island Ferry and the Verrazano-Narrows bridge to Brooklyn."
That's pretty much it. Staten Island is the essence of "white flight" while remaining within the confines of NYC. The people who emigrated to Staten Island in the first place wanted to be isolated. And we know, attitudes are learned, so their offspring adopted the same stance. That need for safety and security is a tenant of conservative politics. It's little wonder that SI consistently votes Republican.
certain people are having a guilty conscience right now, and most of this anger is really directed at the SI Advance, who published an article about Tea Party and racism.
ReplyDeletebtw, after vowing to "boycott" the Advance, all the teabaggers have done is celebrate every time one of their "letters" get published in the paper. funny how the Advance is a liberal rag one day (when the say something bad about Tea Party) and conservative stalwart the next.
anyways, small potatoes, you amuse me.